Mooring and towing chock.



No. 816,827. PATENTED APR. 3, 1906. N. L. SKENE. MOORING AND TOWINGGHOOKH APPLICATION FILED NOV. 3, 1905.

JZZL witnesses Inventor nnrrnn STATES NORMAN L. SKENE, OF SOMERVILLE,MASSACHUSETTS.

moonme. AND TOWING CHOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 3, 1906.

Application filed November 8, 1905. Serial No 285,680.

To 11]] 'whmit it may concern:

Be it known that I, NORMAN L. SKENE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Somerville, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Mooring andTowing Chocks, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a chock used to guide a rope for mooring andtowing boats. The same is also used to guide an anchorrope.

The object of the invention is to provide a chock which mu guide a ropeextending therethrough without injury to said rope and also which shallbe so constructed and formed that while a tow-rope or mooring-rope maybe readily inserted in said chock or in the passage-way provided thereinit will be impossible for saidrope to become accidentally disconnectedfrom said chock.

The invention consists in a chock constructed as hereinafter describedin the specification and particularly as pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of one form of myinventionviz., a mooring-chock of the proper design and form to be usedon the starboard side of the boat at the bow thereof, a mooring-rope being shown in connection therewith in full lines and also in dottedlines. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same viewed from the directionof the arrow, Fig. 1, with a section of a rope located in thepassage-way of said chock. Fig. 3 is a plan view of a form of myinvention used as a stern-chock, the same having a portion of a tow-ropeillustrated in connection therewith in full lines and also in dottedlines. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the form of my inventionillustrated in Fig. 3 as viewed in the direction of the arrow in saidfigure, a section of rope being illustrated in the passage-way of saidchock. Fig. 5 is a diagram in plan view of two boats, one being towed bythe other, and illustrating the position on said boats of my improvedchock, a towing or stern chock being illustrated in one and a bow ormooring chock being illustrated in the other. Fig. 6 is a diagram Viewillustrating in plan a boat with my improved mooring-chock thereon and arope extending from said boat through said mooringchock to a pier orwharf.

toward each other to form a Like numerals refer to like parts throughoutthe several views of the drawin s.

In the drawings Figs. 1 and 2 illustrate a mooring or bow chockconstructed in accordance with my invention, in which 10 is a base-plate adapted 'to be fastened to the starboard side of the boat bymeans of screws 11. This particular form of my invention is constructedin rights and lofts for the starboard and port sides of the boats,respectively. Two ears 12 and 13 extend upwardly from the base-plate 10,with a space 14 therebetween, constituting a passageway for the rope 15.The upper ends 16 and 17 of the cars 12 and 13, respectively, extendtoward each other, with an inlet-passage 18 therebetween.

The sides 19 and 20 of the ear 12 converge pointed end 23, and the sides21 and 22 of the ear 13 converge towardeach other to form a pointed end24, and these pointed ends are adapted to project over the rope 15 as itlies in the passage-way 14 or when it is in practical use, and thus locksaid rope against accidental displacement or disconnection from thechock. It will be noted thatthe sides 19 and 21 of the ears 12 and 13,respectively,

form the opposite sides of the inletpassage 18 and that these sides 19and 21 are substantially parallel one to the other.

The passage-way 14 lies between the ears 12 and 13, and the sides ofsaid passage-way viz., 25 and 26diverge one from the other from theinner side 27 of the base-plate 10 to the outer side 28 thereof, thusforming a bellmouthed passageway 14, having rounded corners in orderthat the rope may not be frayed or injured. The median plane of thepassage-way 14 is indicated by the broken and dotted line A A, Fig. 1,and it will be noted that the inlet-passage 18, which extends into thepassage-way 14 from the top of the chock, is located at an angle to themedian lateral plane A A of said passage-way.

In using the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 the chockis attached to the starboard side of the boat in the particular formshown in said figures, and the rope is passed downwardly through theinletpassage 18 in the direction indicated by the dotted lines, Fig. 1,and it then assumes the position illustrated in full lines in saidfigure. n practical use the rope will move upwardly tached.

and downwardly with the motion of the boat, but cannot pass out of orbecome disconnected from the chock on account of the project ing ends 23and 24 of the ears 12 anc 13, respectively, these ends of the earsprojecting at all times and in all positions which the rope would assumein actual use over said rope and preventing the same from passingoutwardly or from becoming disconnected from said chock.

In Figs. 3 and 4 a modified form of my improved chock is illustratedwhich is particularly adapted for use as a stern-chock. The principle ofits construction is the same as that of the chock hereinbefore describedand illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the same consisting of a base-platewhich is fastened to the boat at the stern by means of screws 11.. Apassage-way 14 extends between the ears 12 and 13, through which therope 15 passes, the upper ends 16 and 17 extending toward and passingeach other, forming be tween their adjacent sides an inlet-passage 18,through which the rope 15 is passed downwardly and into the passage-way14. The position of said rope when being passed through theinlet-passage 18 is indicated by dotted lines, and the sameis indicatedin full lines in the position which it finally assumes when in use.

The sides 19 and 20 of the ear 12converge toward a pointed end 23, whilethe sides 21 and 22 of the upper end of the ear 13 converge toward apointed end 24. Said sides 19 and 21 are substantially parallel and formthe sides of the inlet-passage 18 in the top of the chock. The sides 25and 26 of the passage-way 14 diverge from the inner side 27 to the outerside 28 of the baseplate 10, thus forming a bell-mouthed passage-way 14,so that the rope 15, which extends through said pass'age-way, is guidedwithout danger of being injured or frayed by corners or obstructions ofany kind in said. passage-way, and the pointed ends 23 and 24 extendover said rope and prevent its becoming disconnected from the chock onaccount of any motion of the boat to which it is at- The median plane ofthe passageway 14 is indicated by the broken and dotted line C D, and itwill be noted that said median plane is located at an angle to theinlet-passage 18 and that in both forms of my invention hereinbeforedescribed the median plane of the passageway intersects one side of theinlet-passage.

In using the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 the ropeis inserted through the inlet-p assage 18 in the direction indicated bythe dotted lines, Fig. 3, and when in use said rope straightens into theposition illustrated in full lines in said Fig. 8, in which position itwill be noted that the upper ends of both of the cars 12 and 13 extendover said rope, and thus lock the same against accidental disconnectionfrom the chock.

In Fig. 5 a boat 29 is illustrated in diagram view, together with asecond boat 30, towed by the first boat and connected thereto by atow-rope 31,which passes through a sternchock 32, fast to the stern ofthe boat 29, and through a starboard bow-chock 33, fast to the starboardside of the boat 30.

In Fig. 6 a boat 34 is illustrated as moored to a pier 35 by means of arope 36, said rope 36 passing through a starboard bow-chock 37,constructed in accordance with my invention. Said Figs. 5 and 6 aresimply for the purpose of illustration of the position of the differentchocks, hereinbefore specifically described, upon the boats, and it isnot intended to illustrate in detail the salient features of myinvention in said Figs. 5 and 6.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire by LettersPatent to secure, is

1. A chock comprising in its construction a passage way extendinglaterally thereacross, the opposite sides of said passage-way divergingone from the other from the inner toward the outer side of said chock,said passage-way having an inlet-passage extending thereinto from thetop of said chock and located at an angle to the median lateral plane ofsaid passage-way, said median plane intersecting one side of saidinlet-passage.

2. A chock comprising in its construction a passage way extendinglaterally thereacross and adapted to guide a rope, said passage-waylocated between two ears and having an inlet-passage leading downwardlythereinto at an angle to said passage-way between said ears, the upperends of said ears projecting past each other and adapted to project overa rope located in said passageway from opposite sides thereof, wherebysaid rope is locked against accidental disconnection from said chock.

3. A chock comprising in its construction a passage-way adapted to guidea rope and having an inlet-passage leading thereinto at an anglethereto, said inlet-passage and pas sage-way formed by two ears forminga part of said chock and adapted to extend. diagonally across a ropelocated in said passageway and from opposite sides thereof, whereby saidrope may be inserted in said passage-way, through said inlet-passage,but will be locked against accidental disconnection from said chock.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

NORMAN L. SKENE. WVitnesses CHARLES S. GOODING, ANNIE J. DAILEY.

